Summer Vacation: Day 8 to Day 12

Jasper, my Jasper :)  I love Jasper. We allll love Jasper. Days 8 to 12 were spent in and around Jasper!

Jasper the Bear photo, through the years!

We visited some of our favorite spots in Jasper National Park!  Here are the highlights:

Jasper Tramway: I've rode the tram as a child and Cal and I have rode the tram once for sure, maybe twice, we can't quite remember!  

Made to the top of Whistler's mountain!

 This year we finally decided to take the kids up!!  Blake's always had a fear of heights but this was the summer to conquer those fears ;)  Emerson was most nervous on the tram, Reese spent the ride up in the arms of a sweet lady who asked her if she wanted a better view and Blake gazed out the window, taking it all in!!  Em was fine, she just had to look down at the floor a few times!  They all thought it was pretty neat and were excited to hike when we reached the end of the tram-line.  The hike to the summit of Whistlers mountain was steeper then Cal or I remembered it ... must be our old age ;)  The kids did fabulous though and we were so proud of them!  The views from the summit are amazing and well-worth the short hike!

Pyramid Lake: We took a nice walk around Pyramid Lake, complete with a few (100) photo's ... lol!  Such a beautiful location :)  The kids enjoyed spotting the minnows in the crystal clear water!

Watching the minnows, at Pyramid Lake

My favorite photo :)

Gorgeous Pyramid Lake

Lake Annette: We passed on swimming in the lake this time but had a picnic lunch/hot dog roast near the lake!  And met some new friends at the park! 

Athabasca Falls: Another fave :)

Friends of Jasper Survival Kit: On Wednesday evening the Friends of Jasper hosted a survival kit workshop for kids and our kids really enjoyed it!  They learned about compasses and how to use and create a survival kit.  It was a great program and Cal and I even learned a thing or two ;) 

Parks Interpretive Program in town: We had fun one afternoon when we decided to stop to see a play at the old fire hall in town.  We all ended up part of the play and had some great laughs :)

Those were a few of the highlights!  Whistlers campground is one of my most favorite places to camp.  There is so much to see and do around and always great learning opportunities for the kids!  Although we noticed this year that the kids seemed to have all the answers at all the interpretive programs ... it was actually quite comical!  One of the interpreters even recognized us from last year ;)  

We had a few close encounters with the wildlife ... Blake was extremely close to an elk one morning!!  Cal snapped a pic and Blake ran off, lol!  I'm glad Cal didn't have any close encounters while training for his marathon!!  I was a bit worried about that.

So there is the final re-cap of our 2015 summer vacation.  We had a great time and are very grateful for this time together :)  Can't wait for next years summer vacay!!

Edmonton Marathon 2015

This was it - Cal's big day!!  Cal has dreamed of running a marathon for years now and this was his year!  He's been training and dedicated to completing the 42.2 km.  I am so extremely proud of him:)  Through out summer vacation, rainy days, cold days, days he didn't want to get out of bed, he's pushed through and trained.  I know if you ask him, he will say he under trained but accomplishing what he did, all the while juggling work and being a wonderful Dad and Husband, is something to be extremely proud of!  He would do his long runs on the weekends, leaving the house very early in the morning so that he could be back home shortly after the kids and I awoke, not cutting into too much of our family time.  Thank you Cal for being a wonderful example of dedication and healthy living to both me and our children.  You know how excited I was for you and how proud I am, but seeing the kids faces as we made a race-day sign for you and watching their excitement as they caught you rounding the corner at the 1/2 way mark and then heading for the finish line, is something I will never forget.  And of course Emerson and Blake holding your hands as you crossed the finish line, was the best moment of the entire process!!  We love you and can't wait to cheer you on in your 2nd marathon, next year :)

Best cheer team :)

High fives at the 1/2 way point!!!

Waiting at the finish line with our good friends, the Meyer's!

Blake and Emerson, crossing the finish line with Cal :)

Cal showing us the Marathon route.

Summer Vacation 2015: Day 6 to Day 8

Fun at the Icefields Interpretive Centre!

Checking out the inside of the Interpretive Centre while Mom and Dad cash in on the free WiFi ;)

The start of a 2 day Monopoly game!

 On Day 6 we left Mt. Kidd RV Park and headed for the Columbia Icefields.  First up in our day, was a stop at Deadman Flats.  We enjoyed teasing the kids about Deadman Flats ... all in good fun but I think Blake was a bit worried for a few minutes, lol!!  The kids were over the moon excited when we let them pick out pretty much anything they wanted at the gas station ... it's the small things in life, hahaha!  They also got a kick out of the lady who walked into the gas station, with a large parrot on her shoulder.  It was one of those, "Did that really just happen??" moments!!  The second stop of the day was at Saskatchewan Crossing, to stretch our legs and fill up with the most expensive gasoline we've ever paid for.  Our third stop was the Columbia Icefields Interpretive Centre, where we (again) parking lot boondocked.  We went from +30 weather in Mt. Kidd to approx. +11, so felt a tad cold!!  

The next day, we booked ourselves in for the Athabasca Glacier tour and the Glacier Skywalk tour.  As you can see from some of our photo's, it was quite foggy.  But we still enjoyed the tours, Cal and I had been on the Athabasca Glacier in the past but the kids had not.  They thought the big bus was quite cool and enjoyed a sip of the glacier water (even though due to forest fires, the cold, clear water had a smoky flavour!!)!  Following the icefields tour, we hopped on the bus to the Glacier Skywalk.  I wasn't sure what to expect but was pleasantly surprised.  The audio tour was very informative and interesting and both Cal and I and all three kids loved following along with the tour!  The Skywalk itself was very cool, I'm glad we went! I really love how our kids soak up every last piece of information.  They love to learn and all of these interpretive programs, tours, etc, are right up their alley!  They have questions and are totally engaged, it's wonderful :)  After our last tour, we decided to drive to Jasper for groceries and dinner!

On Day 8 we woke, packed up, hooked up and hit the road to Whistler's campground!!

Proud Canadians, on the Athabasca Glacier

Blake, Cal and Emerson taking their third stroll on the Skywalk ;)

Summer Vacation 2015: Day 1 to Day 5

But I can't keep calm!!!  I was so excited to embark on our summer road trip!  We had such a fantastic time last year, that we decided to do a similar trip this year!  

Blake had a 3on3 hockey game on Sunday, August 9th and we had originally planned to get the trailer packed on Sunday and leave Monday morning.  But we were ready to go and decided instead to leave after 3on3 on Sunday evening!  We didn't really have a plan ... we thought we'd parking lot boondock in either Red Deer or Calgary.  We had a lot of construction hold ups on the Henday and it took fooorrrever (or so it felt!) to get out of the city.  So when we reached Red Deer, we were all starving and ready to stop for the night!  We found a gorgeous spot in the Costco parking lot to stop for the night ;)  We leveled the trailer out and walked to Peter's Drive In for dinner and THE BEST milkshakes!  After dinner we walked back to the trailer and played board games for the night!  It was fun and I'm really glad Cal and the kids bought some new games for our trip - Clue, Monopoly and Racko!

Monday morning we woke up and headed for Calaway Park in Calgary.  We had fun at Calaway Park but I think after visting the park for the 2nd time in 2 years, we are okay to wait a few years before going back!  We scared the girls by taking them on the log ride, as soon as we got into the park.  That probably wasn't the best decision ... neither enjoyed the ride but they really were troopers and got over it quickly!!  Blake thought it was awesome, so that was good! We rode the tamer rides for the remainder of the day, ate lunch and played a few carnival games!  Around 4 pm we left Calaway Park and drove to Mt Kidd RV Resort, to spend the next four nights.  We pulled into our site, set up and took a deep, deep breath of mountain fresh air.  I absolutely love being in the mountains and love Mt Kidd RV park!  After a quick dinner, Cal, Blake and Em went for a bike ride and met Reese and I at the Mt Kidd Interpretive program.  The programs at Mt Kidd are great.  They pack so much fun and entertainment into a 1 hr show!  They are in the form of a play but the kids always come away with so much knowledge!!  These plays often have quite a few innuendos that only the older crowd catch, which makes it hilarious and entertaining for the adults as well!

Day 3 we spent the day around Mt Kidd - Blake and Em went on a 5 km bike ride with Cal to Wedge Pond.  They loved it and Cal said there were some challenging hills but they rocked it!  We also hit up the pool at the campground and enjoyed the warm, roomy showers (oh, and cheap - 10 min for $2!!).  Of course, the evening program was also a must ;)

On Day 4 we packed up a lunch and prepared for a hike!  After reading a few trail guides, we chose Grotto Canyon.  It promised a waterfall at the end of the trail, which we thought would be great motivation :)  We've done a few short hikes in the past few years, Mt. Edith Cavel to name one.  This hike was longer and the climb steeper, but we hoped the kids, most especially 4 yo Reese, would be up for it!  We heard very few complaints and were really impressed with how well they did!! 

The waterfall wasn't really what we were expecting - it was small but pretty, none the less!  We stooped on the edge of the mountain to eat our lunch and then headed back!  Later that day I spoke to a lady at our campground who remembers hiking this same trail and at one point, walking in water up to her knees!!  There are some parts where you walk through a dried up creek bed and I guess at certain times during the
year, the creek fills up.  How exciting would that be to turn around and realize the creek was filling up!!  The scenery on our hike was beautiful and the kids were quite amazed at the rock climbers, during one portion of the hike!  After our hike, we drove to Canmore for a few groceries and to cool off in the a/c ;)  We got back to Mt Kidd in time for an afternoon bird watching session.  Everyone really enjoyed learning about the various birds who inhabit Kananaskis Country and the kids enjoyed sporting their own pair of binoculars during the guided bird watching hike.  Blake also had fun finding the various names and characteristic of the birds we spotted, in his bird watchers field guide :)  A quick supper and off to another evening program!!

Day 5 was again spent at the campground!  Cooling off in the pool, visting the park, ice cream treats, swinging in the hammock, board games, bike riding, walking the gorgeous trails and taking in the evening programming.

 

~ stay tuned for days 6 & 7 ~





  

New babysitter!

A few months ago I spoke to our neighbour because I was pretty sure her son and daughter were nearing or in their teens!  And they are ... so between the two of them, we're keeping them busy this summer!!  Their son is mowing our grass while we're away and their daughter is watering my flowers and we had her babysit on Friday night!  She is only 11 years old (turns 12 in January) but she has her babysitters course and is eager to babysit!  It's nice that her parents are just behind us, just in case.  She came over at 5:30.  Cal and I went for a drink and appy's and then to a movie.  In the morning the kids said she was great and she even brought a backpack full of crafts to do with the kids!  Emerson and Reese made 3 different crafts and thought it was so cool that she brought all the supplies with her ;)  Blake chose not to participate in the crafts - I think he felt a bit awkward with her!!  He is nearly as tall as her and only 3 years older ... lol!  He said he just watched his hockey videos on the iPad and read.  He even put himself to bed, said he didn't need her help!  I found this amusing!!  But I am very glad that the kids all had a great evening with her and we will definitely be scheduling her a lot more ... especially once the Oilers season starts and we get our tickets!!  Yay for a new babysitter, who lives within walking distance :)

~Tracy

Long Lake Provincial Park

We headed to Long Lake on July 30th for an extra long weekend of fun with my parents and family friends, the Scott's.  The weather was good for the most part, we had some rain and some wind.  The kids were so excited to be out on the lake on Grandma and Grandpa's boat and had a blast tubing!!  Grandpa pulled them around and around and around again!!  They could stay out there for hours!  They got pretty brave with the 'bumps' and twists and turns and gave me a near heart attack ;)  This was Reese's 1st time on the tube but you wouldn't know it!  Cal even jumped on for a few rides!!  Blake tried water skiing and got up for a few seconds, one time!  He was a champ and very brave!!  The water was getting a bit rough and there was quite a few boats on the lake, which makes it hard to teach someone to water ski.  My Dad and I also got a ski in, which was great!!  Next time I will slalom!  I wasn't sure how much time I'd spend helping Blake and didn't want to wear myself out - it's pretty crazy how in my teen's I could spend all day water skiing and not feel a muscle ... now I ski for a few minutes and my back and arm muscles are screaming!!  Good sign that I should maybe get back into shape ;)  Anyways, Blake wants to try skiing again this summer so hopefully we can get to the lake with my Mom and Dad before school starts.  Emerson would also like to try water skiing!  We also took the kids fishing, which they always enjoy.  No bites this time but Em and Blake are getting good at casting!  Reese's casts are a tad wild ... she almost hooked Grandma on one cast!!  Besides spending time on the boat, we spent some time on the beach and Blake, Cal and Grandpa played catch!  It was great long weekend and we're glad we chose Long Lake, it's an awesome campground!

~Tracy 

the week of Hrdlicka's!!

Following bike camp, the Hrdlicka's and Cameron's headed to Miquelon Lake for a weekend of camping!!!  We had a great week with the Hrdlicka's an's d I really think they should move closer and we should spend every week together.  lol ;)  

During the week of bike camp, Emerson and Presley had a sleepover at Presley's nana's house and Nicholas slept over at our house.  They all had fun and as expected ... the boys caught more zzzz's than the girls ;)  The fun continued at Miquelon Lake! The kids had fun biking, playing baseball, playing at the park and around the campsite and enjoying a few of the park programs.  The adults had fun adult time once the kids were in bed and enjoyed relaxing and visiting!  The weekend was over far too quickly!

Nicholas and Blake on their sleepover at our house!

Some of the small amount of sleeping that Emerson and Presley did on their sleepover ;)

The youngest Hrdlicka and the youngest Cameron - 2 adorable kiddo's!!

Blake, Emerson and Presley, taking in a park program about 'Critters'

Chasing butterflies!

Checking on her spider :)

Carson and his Dad, checking out their catch!

Watching a movie, keeping out of the rain

fireside selfie!

Watercolor painting at the interpretive centre!

Friends for life :)